Merry Christmas 2009!

Whew! What a busy month! We started off the month with a visit to Eric's family in Tennessee. We are blessed that MANY of his family members are able to gather at our cousins Gwen and Robert's house to celebrate Christmas. The most precious part of that, is the time that four generations of Strauss men get to spend together when we're there.
After that, there's a slurry of parties at friends' homes, church, school, work, and more! Mix in Meg's birthday somewhere in the middle and December is over in a flash. We are blessed with family, friends, good health, and faith. Thank you, God, for all your goodness in our lives!

Our Advent Calendar

OK, so now that the kids are older, Christmas is a whole new event. When you're single or even married but have no children, it's still about yourself and you lose the reverence for how holy an event this holiday celebrates. But when you can teach your children to be excited that Jesus is not only real, but we can celebrate his birthday, well that's just too much fun! Our favorite Christmas tradition is our advent calendar. Eric and I happened across it one Fall when just the two of us were vacationing in Gatlinburg. I think Eric found it first and excitedly called me over to it. It has a little numbered door for each day of advent, and behind it is a magnet that is part of the nativity. When each door is opened, a little recording plays and tells of the significance of that particular object. Even sometimes overlooked items like the sheep and a dove are carefully described as to the important role their presence played in that sacred night. Each evening, the kids eagerly gather around our big yellow chair while Eric gets the calendar down from its perch (placed carefully out of reach of over eager little hands). They all take turns on their rotating nights and open the door to reveal the item. As the month progresses, the iconic image of our Savior's birth develops more and more until on Christmas Eve, when baby Jesus in his manger steals the show. Sure, we all wear matching red pjs, put out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. We threaten that Santa won't come until they're asleep and then hurry downstairs to carefully sneak all the bounty under our tree. But now that they're older...they're starting to get it. Maybe there weren't sheep, or a dove, or many of the items on our beloved advent calendar, but the event was real. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was sent to Earth as a baby. He lived as a man, ate food, had splinters, stubbed his toes, and countless other daily occurrences that we all experience. And then, when his Heavenly Father commanded it, He gave his life for each and everyone of us. If that silly magnetic board that we love so much helps them understand that, then it was money well spent, don't you think?

Meg turns 8

My first baby. You know, no one can prepare you for motherhood. No amount of advice, stories, warnings, or the like can prepare anyone for what being a mother is like. No one could have prepared me for the sleeplessness. No one could have coached me through not crying during her first shots. There was not a single person that could have warned me of how my heart would break the day we were told she was autistic. And most of all, no one on this earth could have prepared me for how my heart would swell with indescribable love at the mere sight of this girl God entrusted to Eric and me. Megan. Sweet, kind, genuine, innocent Megan Olivia Strauss. God has had a special plan for her even from the time he put her name on our hearts. It means Pearl, which is so fitting for her. A perfect, pure beauty slowly and carefully crafted from a rough grain of sand. To know her is to fall completely in love with her love of life and everyone around her. I have never in my life met anyone as kind as this child. She can't stop herself from complimenting strangers as she walks by them on the street. She cried at the first wedding she went to when she was seven because she thought the bride must have been so happy. She is already a teacher to her siblings, a caretaker of her friends, and a daily reminder of God's constant presence in our lives. I am thankful every day that God gave us the opportunity to learn from her and love her and call ourselves her parents. As much as I ache for the days of Johnson and Johnson baby hair smell and her tiny lips rooting on my cheeks when I'd hold her up to my face, I eagerly await seeing her grow and conquer every day of her life. I am Megan's mommy. Lucky me.

Another year, another pumpkin patch!

Although this is by far our favorite time of year, it's bittersweet to think it's here already! When I downloaded this year's photos, I got caught up in looking at previous years' trips to the pumpkin patch. Where did my babies go? Now I have a young lady, a little girl, and a tiny man who likes to say "but, Mooooom!" over and over. I am so thankful to God for all these years of blessings and family memories that I will cherish forever. This year was no exception. We visited Russell Farms this year. While a little pricey, you get what you pay for. There are so many things to do there we couldn't even do it all. The putt putt course will have to wait till next year!

As a fun comparison, I posted some pics from pumpkin patches past. Feast your eyes on my rapidly growing children.

Apple Pickin' is the best!

This was one of the best times we've ever had apple picking. Eric decided the night before that the time to strike was NOW before our favorite place, Tuttles, got too picked over. So we set off with our little pickers in tow and had the perfect morning. It was crisp but not cold and beautifully sunny. The trees had a BUMPER crop this year too! Ian's favorite part again this year was being on wagon duty. No one else was allowed to TOUCH the wagon because he had it under control. Megan, as always, enjoyed the animals most. They always seem to be drawn to her. It's truly amazing to witness. Claire was really into the corn maze (or maize, he he). She kept saying "One more time! I can do it faster!". Daddy has a new love affair with honeycrisp apples and I got my apple butter, so the whole family was happy! Oh how I LOVE fall!

Back to School 2009

That was, for real, the FASTEST summer ever! I mean, looking back, we did a LOT. Florida, Zoo, museum, splash parks, playdates, the list goes on and on. But come on...August 12th?!! I firmly believe that no school should start before the state fair! It's just too darn early. It's so unfair that someone else gets to spend all day with my girls now. That should be me! But, they love it and are learning so much already, so I need to get over myself. At least I still have have my little buddy Ian! He's so fun and this is a blessed opportunity to get to have all this one on one with him. He misses his sisters during the day, but he's asking for them a little less each day.

Their first day of school was fun, starting with breakfast with our neighbors. We set up out in our neighbor's driveway and all the parents brought some yummies to share. The kids loved sitting together and talking about what they were excited for that day. One neighbor even brought Starbucks for all the parents (God Bless you, Lori!). As luck would have it, we even had butterflies that we had been watching since caterpillars and we released them that morning. Too cool.

Of course, the big excitement of the day is the bus. Ahhh, the glorious bus and all it's orangish-yellow splendor. I'm happy to report we have a MUCH nicer driver this year, which makes me feel so much better. I was seriously struggling with the idea of putting not one, but TWO of my babies on a bus for a stranger to drive off with. Eric, my sainted husband, chose to work from home that day so he could help my crying, overly emotional self home from the bus stop. Having my neighbor friends there helped too. When I was crying the hardest right after they drove off, my empathetic neighbor, Shaun, took a picture. While I'll have to delete it and he deserves a beating at some point, it did make me laugh. So, I need to focus on the fact that they are healthy, happy, smart girls that love going to school. Thank you , God, for COUNTLESS blessings, including my children that love to learn and spend their day away from Mommy.

Claire Victoria Strauss-Age 6

Wow. Six years. I mean, really? She's my BABY girl. I've always thought of Megan as a big girl, but not Claire. Megan was always a little more grown up than her age, so seeing her grow up has been easier for me. But Claire will always be the chubby cheeked, wide eyed, drooling baby in my mind. From the time of her painless, effortless delivery, she was a perfect baby. Slept and ate well, rarely cried, easy to smile. Everyone always got a smile out of her and that always made me so proud. I know how good it makes me feel to get a smile out of a baby and I always loved that she did that for so many people. While she has grown far less agreeable and we joke that her looks are what keeps her living, I can't help but cry as I type out how much I adore this child that God has gifted to Eric and me. I can't fathom why I get to be her mother. As testy as she can be, that's how sweet and loving she is. Sometimes she truly can't stop herself from hugging and kissing you. She actually panics if she leaves someone she loves and thinks she might have forgotten to hug, kiss, and tell them she loves them. Thank you, God, for trusting me to be her mother. I hope I'm doing your will for her everyday.